i'm wolf blitzer. thanks very much for joining us. i'll be back tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. eastern "the situation room." and once again here on cnn tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern. and now, here's don lemon tonight. don? >> all right. wolf, we'll see you tomorrow night. thank you very much. straight to the breaking news. i'm don lemon. our breaking news, danger ratcheting up in ukraine. it's just about 5:00 a.m. there. russian troops surrounding the country on three sides. vladimir putin not just recognizing two breakaway republics, but there are fears that he is laying the groundwork to take even more territory. the world has been waiting for president biden to call it exactly what it is, and now he is. the president bluntly declaring

this is the beginning of a russian invasion of ukraine, and hitting back at vladimir putin with sanctions on two russian banks with more than $80 billion in assets as well as some of the country's wealthiest elites and their families. and warning, that's not all. >> if russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as with sanctions. who in the lord's name does putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbors? this is a flagrant violation of international law. and demands a firm response from international community. >> a senior administration official saying the sanctions are, and i quote here, only the sharp edge of the pain we can inflict, and calling the two banks, quote, a glorified piggy bank for the kremlin. these are tough sanctions, but are they tough enough? will anything stop vladimir putin? another tough question.

the president saying that putin is creating a rational to take more territory by force. joe biden says he has no intention of going to war with russia. but the united states and its allies will defend every inch of nato territory. that is the second of state tony blinken cancels a summit with russian's foreign minister warning democracy is under attack and calling this "the greatest threat to security in europe since world war ii." >> his plan all along has been to invade ukraine, to control ukraine and its people, to destroy ukraine's democracy which offers a stark contrast to the autocracy he leads, to reclaim ukraine as a part of russia. that's why this is the greatest threat to security in europe since world war ii. >> we have around the world coverage here on cnn. let's get to cnn's m.j. lee, at the white house, oren liebermann at the pentagon, jill dougherty in moscow, and cnn remilitary analyst, retired air force colonel cedric leighton

joins us. hello, one and all. m.j., president biden is making it clear that russia is the aggressor. are sanctions just the first step in punishing moscow? . that is at least what the white house is saying right i know, that this is just the beginning. when president biden announced the the sanctions today, he called them really the first tranche of sanctions. they included sanctioning and targeting the two russian financial institutions. they also target u.s. investment and russian foreign debt. they also take aim at russians elite and families. also as we know and we have talked about so much, the u.s. is consistently opposed to the nord stream 2 pipeline, this gas line that runs between germany and russia. so the line from the white house now is that these sanctions will continue to work on sort of a rolling basis. as russia invades more, if they invade more, more sanctions are

going to be headed their way. but a question that the white house is now grappling with is what purpose do these sanctions serve? because, don, remember, up until today, the white house said the sanctions are meant to be a deterrent. we're not going to announce them until russia invaded ukraine because the hope is that the threat of these sanctions would stop russia from invading. so now we know because the u.s. is saying they are determined that russia has begun to invade ukraine that the first attempt at deterrence using these sanctions, they were a failure, right? so going forward what the u.s. would like to see is that the threat of more sanctions would deter further invasion of the kind of invasion that would cause mass casualties, horrific scenario where an invasion could attack and really take aim at a city like kyiv. but that is the hope right now and so far, again, those attempts at using sanctions as deterrents, that didn't stop the beginning of a russian invasion.

>> i want to ask colonel leighton, the sanctions didn't work as a deterrent, so now what? what more can be done at this point? >> that's really a tough question, don. i think a lot has to do with how putin interprets our force posture. by that i mean our position of u.s. forces and nato forces arrayed around the eastern periphery. and this is what we have to in essence what the president has done is move troops into the baltic states. they, of course, there are troops in poland. and romania, and those troops are going to basically be the limit at which putin can act. and if he was beyond that, then, of course, it is a whole different ball game at that point. >> jill, let me bring you in. russia had to know that these sanctions were coming. president biden has been warning of them for weeks now. they didn't provide us as a

deterrent. or serve as a deterrent. so how is the kremlin responding tonight? >> you know, i think publicly they're -- in fact, it was interesting when president biden spoke, the kremlin said they didn't have time to watch his speech because president putin was -- had another meeting that he had to attend. so they're kind of brushing it off. sanctions over the years have hurt russia. the problem is putin new as you said, that sanctions were coming. so he has prepared his country. and by saving up a lot of money, $620 billion, but also what he does with sanctions is they have had countersanctions here in russia. and those countersanctions have gone -- have put people who are really the closest to putin in positions of the authority like over the agricultural industry, for example.

in effect, it is a slush fund that helps those people in times of trouble. so the more difficult it gets, and the more sanctions there are, the more counter of sanctions there are, and the more money goes to the supporters and the friends of vladimir putin. so it's kind of the, you know, pernicious system. but and, yet, this is really about what the west can do other than gigantic war. and that certainly is not what anybody, at least in the west, wants. >> speaking of that, oren liebermann, president biden made it very clear that the u.s. is not going to war with russia. watch this and we'll talk. >> we have no intention of fighting russia. we want to send an unmistakable message, though, that the united states together with our allies will defend every inch of nato territory and abide by the commitments we made to nato.

>> one has to wonder if that is a deterrent by saying we don't want to go to war with russia. again, the u.s. is not going to war. but the u.s. is sending more troops and military equipment to nato's eastern flank. what can you talk to me about that, oren? >> president joe biden is making it very clear how intends to use his military. he is not sending troops into ukraine. he is avoiding confrontation. but he is living up to what he said there, defending every inch of nato territory. 800 troops. and entry battalion task force heading for baltic states, as well as a number of f-35 fighter jets and apache attack helicopters. not only going to the baltic states, estonia, latvia, but also nato southeastern flank. those troops which moved from europe essentially pushing to that eastern flank into eastern europe will be in place by the end of the week. biden made it clear in his speech, a message directed to putin, that this is a defensive posture. the u.s. will work to bolster

its allies, its nato allies and make sure they have the tools, the capabilities and the partners they need for their defense should putin think of going into ukraine and look perhaps even beyond that. officials here very concerned about what putin's intent is since at this point remains so unclear they're getting nato ready and the defensive position for any possibility here. >> all right. that is nato assets. colonel leighton, let's talk about russian military assets. satellite images show in recent days additional troops and vehicles and infrastructure have been deployed including a field hospital constructed in military site on a military site within 24 miles of ukraine's border. what does it tell you about russia's plans over the next few days and weeks? >> it basically shows us, don, they are getting ready to make intermilitary move into ukraine. any time you bring out the hospital beds, any time you

bring up the blood supply, any time you move this type of equipment, these types of weapons that close to the border, that means that you are ready to use them. and we have to be prepared for them to actually cross the border, whether it's going to be in the donbas region or beyond the donbas region. that of course remains to be seen. my suspicion is he is going to go beyond the donbas. >> m.j., the secretary of state tony blinken called off a meeting with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov that was set to take place this week. does the biden administration still believe there is room for diplomacy even with the moves putin made over the past couple days? or even today? >> not only is that blinken-lavrov meeting called off, the biden-putin summit at the white house that the senate had tentatively agreed to over the weekend, the white house confirming there are no plans for that to take place either. that makes a lot of sense. both sets of those meetings were

contingent on russia not invading ukraine. for the time being, the talks are not going to continue or there are no plans for the meetings to happen. the administration though, including president biden himself, it has been stressing that there is still room for diplomacy. but when these high level talks are being called off, a question for the white house is what exactly does diplomacy look like with russia at this moment in time? i asked white house press secretary jen psaki that question today. >> can you help paint a picture of what exactly diplomacy looks like in terms of dealing with russia? >> well, first, we still -- the door to diplomacy remains open. what diplomacy looks like, we're going to continue to engage with our european partners, of course. and we'll continue to remain open to having diplomatic conversations once if and when they deescalate.

>> and look, psaki also said that biden-putin conversation, that now is not the appropriate time for that to take place, that they really need to see significant de-escalation. but that basically president biden would never close the door on a leader to leader conversation. >> jill, you're in russia. take us to the ground here. russian tv painting the west as the aggressor. despite what we're seeing on the ground here. talk to me more about how this conflict is being viewed inside russia. >> yeah, that's exactly what they're saying. it's almost -- the complete opposite of what people in the west see. in other words, what they're saying here on state tv is russia is being dragged into this conflict. and the reason is because nato and especially the united states are using ukraine as kind of a weapon against russia. in a sense, they're not really talking about ukraine. they're talking about the united states.

especially if you look at some of the polls, russians blame not ukraine, but they blame nato. opinion is really kind of divided. i would say probably the majority of people do support defending russia against the west. but there are people here who are not on board with this war. there are actually have been some generals, retired generals who came out and very strongly urged not to go to war. in fact, one of them wanted putin to resign. there are people here who don't want to do it. you saw his security council meeting. it was a misstep in communicating about what they were going to do. so the thing is, you know, putin now has so much power in the country he controls the military and you see them on the border. and now in actual parts of ukraine. >> colonel, i have to ask you, because these things, obviously,

don't always go as planned as people think, right? the president may not -- may be saying, you know, we don't want to go. he doesn't want to go to war with russia. but the possibility of being dragged into a war that, is a real possibility. no? >> it is absolutely, don. that's why we have to be so careful about the next steps and how everything is managed both on the military side and, of course, on the diplomatic side. and so every time you have troop concentrations anywhere, the risk is increased that there might be an unintended incident and those have unintended consequences. it is a very real risk a lot of con affliction of forces. we don't want to go to war with russia. but the events might draw us in. frankly, the pictures that we may see from ukraine the next days or weeks or whenever this happens could spur further action and could spur further military action. that is something the pentagon and its counterparts and other

nato countries will have to be prepared for. >> and lastly, oren liebermann, the pentagon is well aware of that? >> absolutely. there is no abatement about the concern and worry about putin's next steps. they see the number of troops there. if you include the separatists, we're looking at 190,000. they see the buildup getting closer to the border. remember friday 45 to 50% of troops, russian troops near ukraine were in attack positions. and they have seen no signs that putin is deescalating. if you leave the forces in belaruse when the exercise is over, if they remain at a height ened level in crimea and the border of eastern ukraine there, what's the reason for that? the conclusion, the concern is the reason is an all out invasion. remember, it was defense secretary lloyd austin who said over the weekend the probability of tanks rolling into kyiv is highly likely. >> oren, m.j., colonel, jill, thank you all. i really appreciate it.

next, i'm going to ask a man that served on the national security council and testified in the ukraine impeachment. will anything stop vladimir putin? >> russia's moved supplies and blood and medical equipment into position on the border. you don't need blood unless you plan on start aguiar. ever get a sign the universe is trying to tell you something? the clues are all around us! not that one. that's the one. at university of phoenix, you could earn your master's degree in less than a year for under $11k. learn more at phoenix.edu. we're a different kind of dentistry. one who believes in doing anything it takes to make dentistry work for your life. so we offer a complete exam and x-rays free to new patients without insurance - everyday. plus, patients get 20% off their treatment plan. we're on your corner and in your corner every step of the way. because your anything is our everything.

aspen dental. anything to make you smile. book today at aspendental.com, walk in, or call 1-800-aspendental. (johnny cash) ♪ i've traveled every road in this here land! ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ crossed the desert's bare, man. ♪ ♪ i've breathed the mountain air, man. ♪ ♪ of travel i've had my share, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere. ♪ ♪ i've been to: pittsburgh, parkersburg, ♪ ♪ gravelbourg, colorado, ♪ ♪ ellensburg, cedar city, dodge city, what a pity. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere. ♪ it's true - everyone gets a free new samsung galaxy s22 with a galaxy trade-in. any year, any condition. really!? even if my old phone looks like... this?!? ♪ dude! why?! how could you! it's ok, people! ...i've trained for this. it's not complicated.

everyone gets a free new samsung galaxy s22, with a galaxy trade-in. any year, any condition.

- that moment you walk in the office and people are wearing the same gear, you feel a sense of connectedness and belonging right away. and our shirts from custom ink help bring us together. - [narrator] custom ink has hundreds of products to help you feel connected. upload your logo or start your design today at customink.com

president biden leveling what he calls the first tranche of actions against russia and declaring putin's newest actions against ukraine are the beginning of a russian invasion. biden saying he believes putt putin is ready to go much farther in launching a massive military attack against ukraine. with me now, lieutenant colonel alexander vindman, a former director for european affairs at the national security council. thank you, colonel. appreciate you joining us. >> the u.s. is now calling this the beginning of russian invasion. that's after hedging on what is called last night. so first round of sanctions now coming. what do you think of president biden's response? and i will it be enough to stop putin? >> sure, within the bounds of what the administration set out as a policy, which is a reactive policy based on russian actions

as opposed to proactive policy, i appreciate this fairly heavy step. they sanctioned a number of different entities that will be impactful and they're signalling they have more. with regards to taking appropriate actions to deter russian aggression, i think we're well shy where we need to be. the sanctions are not going to be a deterrent. if anything, the way they're sequenced right is more punitive sanctions. so russia does this. the u.s. and the west take this kind of action and response to punish him. what i would think is a series of deterrent actions or proactive actions ahead of russia's activities might be called for. so, you know, we know the russians are getting ready to engage in a major offensive, we probably should be preparing our european allies to defend themselves or at least to signal that the u.s. will be behind them defending them.

that means force posture changes, not in response to russian aggression, but proactively. and same thing with regards to arming ukrainians. this has frankly been the biggest frustration with this administration is that all the actions seem reactive instead of proactive. as far as today's actions go, we take a look at the snapshot in terms of sanctions, those are meaningful sanctions. i think putin probably didn't necessarily believe that these kinds of sanctions were coming. there is unanimity of action with regards to europe and like to land. >> i'm not sure if you heard our jill dougherty in the segment before. she talked about how putin has put aside all of this money. the longer this goes on, will the sanctions be more effective? because in the short-term, it doesn't seem like they're going to have much effect. if this goes on for a longer period of time, do the sanctions matter more?

>> not really. i think the fact is that it's highly unlikely this is going to go on for very long. it's just militarily not viable for putin to keep that many troops in the field about 106,000, 190,000 including the russian forces, russian controlled forces in the breakaway territories. it's not possible to keep them in the field for weeks and weeks on end. helicopters and those planes need to be serviced. the same thing with the armored vehicles. these systems are designed for field operations. but not for extended operations without being maintenance, receiving maintenance. the morale is going to be affect as time wears on. i think this is likely to unfold in the coming days and weeks. we just saw what amounts to phase one. building a case that russia is forced to recognize these territories and fabricated premise of ukrainian aggression

that didn't exist. now they're coming in with russian ground forces into these territories and the next step is going to be building out what putin has said, a recognition of the entirety of the states and two provinces and pushing out and probably starting from there. i think we're, again, we're -- these are just the leading edges of what is going to be a massive attack on ukraine in the position of the forces there. vladimir putin's rhetoric indicates that action is coming. >> let me ask you, you said that your frustration with the administration is this has been reactive. so then what about this idea of diplomacy? you heard tony blinken, you heard jen psaki and the president still an idea of diplomacy, they will take it. but we are past that point now, correct? >> don, unfortunately, that is very true. we can continue to do diplomacy with our allies to build

consensus, to build resolve, to gird our alliance for this coming offensive and to take the appropriate action. thing is probably more coming with regards to nato, our nato response, likely an activation of the nato response force if the consensus is there. that would be a major, major signal. those kinds of things will occur. but in terms of standard fair diplomacy, it's dead. >> there are alternatives just like in the cuban missile crisis. we have these kind of alternative tracks -- track two type stuff. >> what will get more direct question to you, colonel, excuse me for interrupting. what will get vladimir putin's attention at this point? >> i think we may be beyond that point. but the things that wouldn't get his attention would be provisioning ukraine with much, much more significant military

assistance. probably something on the order of -- it doesn't have to be lethal. ukrainians are conducting defensive operations against a massive force. so provisioning them with logistics, establishing a pipeline to provide that, i think the sanctions probably are okay for where we are right now. based on the template that this administration has laid out. there's a lot more head room for action. i think positioning forces make a good bit of sense. but unfortunately, we did not do enough to deter russian aggression early on. and frankly, i think one of the things we're going look back on as a meaningful misstep is when president biden said we will only defend nato. that in a way offered a green light to putin to conduct this operation. he did not have to contend with the ambiguity of a nato and u.s. response. we have the policy of strategic

ambiguity for a reason. we want our adversaries to calculate this can somehow turn into a bilateral confrontation. the russians don't want that. when we waved away we'll only defend nato, we kind of set the conditions for the russians to believe that they don't have to contend with this anymore. and i fear for other republics in the former soviet union -- this is an antiquated term. but those republics that used to be part of the soviet union that have been independent countries for 30 years, they now have to contend with the reality of russia, a belligerent russia prepared to take action and the u.s. and nato only looking to defend nato territory. i'm not sure if that's the best signal we should be sending. >> i'll ask you what i asked colonel leighton earlier. the president says he didn't think we're going to war with russia. in these situations, you can -- one can get pulled into a war. >> yeah. unfortunately, that's true. this is something that i've been warning against.

we need to take much, much more assertive position to prevent this conflict. because once those shots are fired and there are casualties by the thousands, it kind of changes the geometry. then the russians have to contend with these weapons have been provisioned by nato, u.s., the baltics and so forth. do they take punitive action? with the response to enormous amounts of refugees flowing in, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, europeans are going to be deeply concerned about how to deal with that. and they recognize that the source is russian aggression. do they start to even further support ukraine with regards to fighting russia? i think this is very, very complex. right now it is actually -- it was simple a month ago. it's got increasingly complex with different courses of action getting locked in. putin is locked in his trajectory for confrontation. and we're just going to be -- we have to manage this very, very carefully.

but this is the consequence of 20 years of failing to push back on russian aggression. russian undermining putin undermining international norms and now we're getting to the point that we're paying the price. it's because we didn't do the deterence we needed to years ago that we're now at this point where we're at a breaking point. and i fear that there is a reasonable chance we get pulled into this based on the visuals of thousands and thousands of casualties. just think back to the balkans. we're into that crisis too. >> colonel, thank you. i really appreciate it. be well. almost two years to the day since ahmaud arbery's death. his killers are convicted of hate crimes against him. and it wouldn't have happened if not for ahmaud's family, fighting for justice. that's next. 't. i use liberty mutual, they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. wooo, yeaa, woooooo

and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. hey tex, can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. yeah. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ stuff. we love stuff. and there's some really great stuff out there. but i doubt that any of us will look back on our lives and think, "i wish i'd bought an even thinner tv, found a lighter light beer, or had an even smarter smartphone." do you think any of us will look back on our lives and regret the things we didn't buy? or the places we didn't go? ♪ i'd go the whole wide world ♪ ♪ i'd go the whole wide world ♪ (music) ♪ i think to myself ♪ ♪ what a wonderful world ♪

for people living with h-i-v, keep being you. and ask your doctor about biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex.

serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. and ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. new vicks vapostick. strong soothing vapors... help comfort your loved ones. for chest, neck, and back. it goes on clear. no mess just soothing comfort. try new vicks vapostick.

what does a foster kid need from you? to be brave. to show up. for staying connected. the questions they weren't able to ask. show up for the first day of school, the last day at their current address. for the mornings when everything's wrong. for the manicure that makes everything right, for right now. show up, however you can, for the foster kids who need it most— at helpfosterchildren.com as a business owner, your bottom line for the foster kids is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig.

all on the most reliable nationwide network. with no line activation fees or term contracts... saving you up to $500 a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities.™ tomorrow, can you believe it. it will mark the second anniversary of ahmaud arbery's murder in georgia. today the three white men convicted of murdering him were found guilty of all charges in their federal hate crimes trial. jurors concluding the defendants' actions were racially motivated because arbery was black. his mother speaking after the verdict was saying she had to push prosecutors to take the case to trial and not reach a plea deal. >> i told the doj that yes, they

were prosecutors, but one thing they didn't have, they didn't have a son that was lying in a cold grave. >> come on. >> and they still didn't hear my cry. okay. so again, we got a victory today. but so many families out there who don't -- who don't get victories because of people that we have fighting for us. >> amaud's father marcus arbery is here and family attorney ben crump as well. thank you both for joining. ben, i just -- good evening to both of you. after these things happen, the dad is here. but these moms step up, the mothers of the movement, they step up. i mean, they become warriors for their children. it's amazing to watch. >> yes. it really is, don. when you think about all these strong black women like

trayvon's mother, sabrina fulton, allison and all the way up, michael brown's mother leslie. but obviously, i want to uphold these black fathers too, like trayvon's father tracy martin, certainly amir locke's father andre, and then certainly marcus arbery. it's only right, don lemon, we stand up together in unity and fight for our children. >> and marcus, i appreciate you joining us. and what you've done and ben is right on about the fathers stepping up as well. i know this must be bittersweet for you right now because it doesn't bring your son back. what was it like hearing that verdict read out today and you walked out of that courtroom and you locked hands and held your arms up high. what was that like? >> oh, it just took a lot of pressure out of my heart because my family struggled with the

death because how he was killed, you know what i'm saying, it was bitter but it was sweet, like you say. one thing about it, we got justice for ahmaud. of course he's not with us no more. we have to deal with that. sisters and brothers and aunts and the rest of our life because we ain't going to see him no more. >> were you worried that this might not have been the outcome? >> you know, no, sir, i wasn't worried at all. because the god i praise, he always tell me the victory was won. >> how you are feeling about the justice department now, marcus? >> we still have a lot of work to do with it. but you know, it just -- don, you just have to think, you have to see stuff for what it really is. you know, it took cameras and videos for us to get justice. and you know not those cameras and stuff like that. we got to look where his case

would have want at. the investigating team here is not good. we're keeping it real. and that's really sad. they swear on an oath to protect all people and they're failing in doing their job. i'm looking at you have an outsider come in and do their job. and you know that is really terrible. >> ben, want to know how you feel about. that look, you called this a -- a lynching. how important is it to prove that the killing of ahmaud was racially motivated? >> don, it was historical, man. when you think about it, it was the first time in the history of the state of georgia that you had a hate -- federal hate crime conviction. and hopefully it sets a precedent that we can have more of these cases brought even understanding it's a high bar

they always tell us. but race was the motivating -- for killing unjustly, we need to have it documented and have two bites of the apple. one in the state level and another on the federal level. and so i think this was historic for wanda and marcus. it was historic for georgia. but most important, it was historic for america and our children. >> it's interesting because people, you know, like to hide their racism. they try to pretend it doesn't exist. ben, the jury was asked to ignore all of the text messages, right, all of the whatever the social media and everything. all of these racist messages. and then say oh, no. those don't count. that doesn't -- that doesn't work anymore in this, you know, social media age and this technological age. what message do you think this verdict sends? you said you think it's a precedent. what does this send moving

forward, do you think? >> well, the hope, don, is that it sends the message that you can't think you're going to kill us and get away with it because on the federal level and state level, we can come after you. but when you think about george floyd and the video there and you think about the video and ahmaud arbery, you think so much about what technology has done to help us see for ourselves the evidence. and with trayvon martin, the anniversary of the tragedy happening on saturday, you can only try to fathom if we have video there and we have video in breonna taylor's case what measure of justice they would have received. >> marcus, tomorrow is the two-year anniversary of your son's death, sorry, being killed by these men. georgia lawmakers made february 23rd ahmaud arbery day.

how do you move forward from here, sir? >> ooh, lord, i just give the glory to god. and the whole team that rallied around us and helped us get justice for ahmaud. it just feels so good that we know he didn't just die in vain, and his name will always be remembered. >> marcus, ben, thank you both. i appreciate you joining. >> thank you, don. it was historic. thank you. >> thank you and be well. >> civil rights leaders applauding today's verdict. attorney general on the verge of tears talking about it. what this means in the fight for equal justice. we'll talk about that next. olay body wash hydrates to improve skin 3x better, from dry and dull to firm and radiant. with olay body, i feel fearless in my skin.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (vo) jamaica. (woman) best decision ever. (vo) feel the sand between your toes, and the gentle waves of the sea on your skin. feel the warm jamaican breeze lift your spirits and nourish your soul. escape to exactly what makes your heart beat. you will love every moment. jamaica. heartbeat of the world. let's go.

we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online. now we've created a brand-new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana.

don't settle for products that give you a sort-of white smile. try crest whitening emulsions... ...for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets... ...swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. shop crestwhitesmile.com.

the three white men convicted of murdering ahmaud arbery now also found guilty of

federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping. joining me now laura coates. she is cnn's senior legal analyst and the author of "just pursuit: a brack prosecutor's fight for justice." good evening, laura. thank you for joining us. always a pleasure to see you. so this case almost ended with a plea deal fit weren't for his mother wanda cooper jones. would we eep be having this conversation right now? >> likely not. and that's because, of course, when you're a federal prosecutor, you're often thinking about very sort of glib phrase of a burden hand worth more than two in a bush. what i mean by that is because there hasn't traditionally been a very difficult burden to prove a hate crime, i suppose they thought if they could secure a guilty plea and evade having to actually try the case, they would able to convey a kind of justice the family in the end. the family was quite resolved. i think they were right to be so. in thinking to themselves, no the reason we have hate crime laws on the books is because they are a distinct crime, because they target

indiscriminately with an eye toward somebody's race. it could be you. it could be i or anybody who has a certain characteristic. and for that reason, we codify our discussions about this. we codify the injustice. we codify in the form of saying, hey, we will hold your feet to the fire in a larger, you know, idea about how to secure that verdict. but the prosecutors were likely probably very reluctant about this notion. so the family was very resolved, and i'm glad they did. but for their actions, we would not have known the extent of these racist messages, the vitriol that was spewed and what truly motivated these men to hunt, pursue and eventually kill ahmaud arbery. in the end, you had not only the state level conconviction, you the federal as well. that now means they serve the rest of their lives in prison, likely in a state prison as opposed to a federal one. >> now let's take a listen. this is the attorney general merrick garland reacting to the verdict today. >> i cannot imagine the pain that a mother feels.

to have her son run down and then gunned down while taking a jog on a public street. my heart goes out to her and to the family. that's really all i can say about this. >> very emotional there. what does this case say about biden's department of justice, laura? >> well, hopefully it means that they are going to make good on the promises to pursue these types of cases. look, white nationalism is on the rise. the fbi has noted that time and time again. and so one of the ways in which we use our legal system is to deter activity through accountability. if you're able to hold people accountable, perhaps you won't silence the ideology but you will silence the actions and furtherance of the ideologies. and that is a step in the right direction. it also is particularly endearing to have the attorney general of the united states be able to see himself in somebody

who looks nothing like him and to commiserate as a parent and even to recognize what it must be like for her as a woman, for her as a mother, for her as a mother of this son. i myself, like so many others was out there jogging in commemoration of his final jog that day, as so many of us were year in and year out for the two years that he has been gone at this point, and had my children out there. and my own son would say why are we running for the amount of time. it's because i want this to never be you. and for so many parents around this country, black women in particular, or watching these cases unfold and eye toward deterrent and hoping that accountability will prevent our own child's fate in such a horrible and grotesque way. and so when you hear the attorney general, the highest officer in the land, frankly, the highest officer of a court in the land, saying and expressing it, i hope it means that we are bending further towards that arc of justice. >> i want to ask you, laura, about breaking news. president biden has met with at

least three potential supreme court picks including brown ketanji brown jackson, excuse me, andra krueger, and j. michelle child. >> well, these three women, frankly the president has an embarrassment of riches. each qualified in their own unique way. one of course a supreme court justice in california. one had been a federal public defender on the court. the other now a federal judge as well. and of course one is ai district court judge -- excuse me, a d.c. circuit court judge, replacing merrick garland who he just have spoken about. each of them brings their own strengths to the actual position. this is actually suggesting that the president is right on track to be able to make his decision by the end of the month of february as he's articulated. which gives us plenty of time, us as a society, to watch the confirmation hearings even prior to a midterm election. of course it does not mean that

because he has undergone these interviews that there will suddenly not be talking points to try to undermine their credibility. but these should fall upon deaf ears given the range, the scope of expertise, and the way in which each are revered. now, there may be others on this list. that's true, don. and i'm waiting to hear if others are going to be included. but certainly at least to one of them has already received republican support on three different occasions from three different nominees, frankly, in furtherance of her own career. so i'll be curious to see to what extent she may not be considered qualified all of a sudden. i'm talking about ketanji brown jackson. or others in that realm. so i'm looking forward to the day when we actually have a confirmation hearing of a black woman, a nominee to the supreme court of the united states. it's long overdue, and what an embarrassment of riches to have any of these three and others be included in the consideration. >> laura coates, thank you. appreciate it. $24 million settlement. after winning multiple world cups. the women's national soccer team

is winning. take this. equal pay.

(johnny cash) ♪ i've traveled every road in this here land! ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ crossed the desert's bare, man. ♪ ♪ i've breathed the mountain air, man. ♪

♪ of travel i've had my share, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere. ♪ ♪ i've been to: pittsburgh, parkersburg, ♪ ♪ gravelbourg, colorado, ♪ ♪ ellensburg, cedar city, dodge city, what a pity. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere. ♪

so take this. the women's national soccer team scoring a goal, reaching a $24 million settlement with u.s. soccer in their equal pay lawsuit. $2 million of the lawsuit going toward funding for women's and girls' soccer programs and players' post-career goals. but 22 million going for back pay to the players named in the suit, an indirect admission by u.s. soccer that players weren't paid enough. after the organization spent years defending their lower pay rates saying the men's team had larger audiences and suggesting that men are more skilled. the thing is the women's team won four olympic gold medals since 1991. they've won multiple world cups. and, well, the men, they haven't. up next, president biden hitting russia with sanctions saying they've begun an invasion into ukraine.

we're live on the ground in ukraine. and fareed zakaria will tell us what to expect in the days ahead. that's all right after this. [school bus passing by] [kids laughing] [bikes passing] [fire truck siren] [first responder] onstar, we see them. [onstar advisor] okay. mother and child in vehicle. mother is unable to exit the vehicle. injuries are unknown. [first responder] thank you, onstar. [driver] my son, is he okay? [first responder] your son's fine. [driver] thank you. there was something in the road... [first responder] it's okay. you're safe now. we need to reduce plastic waste in the environment. that's why at america's beverage companies, our bottles are made to be remade. not all plastic is the same. we're carefully designing our bottles to be 100% recyclable, including the caps. they're collected and separated from other plastics, so they can be turned back into material that we use to make new bottles. that completes the circle and reduces plastic waste. please help us get every bottle back.

men put their skin through a lot. day-in, day-out that's why dove men body wash has skin-strengthening nutrients and moisturizers that help rebuild your skin. dove men+care. smoother, healthier skin with every shower. (music) ♪ i think to myself ♪

♪ what a wonderful world ♪ as a professional bull-rider i'm used to taking chances. but when it comes to my insurance i don't. i use liberty mutual, they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. wooo, yeaa, woooooo and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. hey tex, can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. yeah. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪